South Korea ferry disaster: Video shows captain escaping sinking ship

HONG KONG (AFP) - South Korea's coastguard on Monday released a video showing the captain of a sinking ferry scrambling to safety as hundreds remained trapped inside - a move expected to intensify criticism of the crew over the disaster.

The 10-minute video - taken by rescue officials and aired on the YTN news channel - shows 69-year-old captain Lee Joon Seok, wearing a sweater and underpants, hastily escaping from the bridge of the tilting ship before it sank on April 16.

All 15 of the surviving crew responsible for sailing the huge ferry are in custody, facing charges including negligence and abandoning passengers.

Victims' families have bitterly criticised the official response to the disaster, saying delays in accessing the submerged ship may have robbed any survivors of their last chance to make it out alive.

Lee Joon-Seok (Center), captain of South Korean ferry Sewol which sank at sea off Jindo, is seen as he is sent to a prosecutor's office in Mokpo on April 27, 2014. South Korea's coastguard on Monday released a video showing the captain of a sinking ferry scrambling to safety as hundreds remained trapped inside - a move expected to intensify criticism of the crew over the disaster. -- PHOTO: REUTERS